Access Alliance Community Kitchen

A few years ago Access Alliance operated a drop-in program for young mothers and their children. The program was very successful, so much so that the program coordinators found that the program was overwhelmed by demand. Women with very young children, women whose children had grown up with the program, and women without children, all wanted to participate in the program. The coordinators realized that changes needed to be made to help in meeting the needs of all the women and children hoping to participate in the program. The coordinators decided a community kitchen would be a great way to do this. Originally, there were two groups, one for the mothers with young children and one for the mothers with older children or no children. Due to logistical difficulties there is now only one program.

Target Group

The community at Access Alliance is open to low income women. Many of the participants speak English as a second language.

Goals

The Community Kitchen aims to provide a comfortable environment conducive for socialization and the development of social support networks. The environment allows women to learn and share skills around cooking and healthy eating.

Location

The community kitchen takes place at Access Alliance in their bright and welcoming kitchen. The Kitchen is large and is well equipped. However, many of the women feel a larger stove would be very helpful because the women often get so involved in cooking elaborate meals that they run out of space. .

The cooking area is separated from the large dining area by ‘child-safe’ gates. The gates help to keep the women’s children who sometimes come for a quick visit from the daycare safe. Access Alliance staff take care of the women’s children in the daycare during the community kitchen program. The dining area is close by and visible from the cooking area making it easy for women to take a break while the meal is being prepared.

Operation of the Community Kitchen

When the community kitchen first began the group was highly supported by an Access Alliance paid staff member (Carolina). As the group evolved, the women became more confident in their abilities and independent in the operation of the community kitchen. The need for paid staff decreased and now Carolina mainly plays the role of coordinator from a distance, she assists with maintaining the budget, booking guest speakers and coordinating special events outside of the kitchen.

The community kitchen takes place once per week. The cooking starts and ten in the morning and by eleven it is time for the women to have a break and further catch up with one another. During the early morning break the women plan for the community kitchen that will be held next month. Each week, a different participant is in charge of making the meal. She is responsible for deciding what will be one the menu and who will prepare what. The women choose the meals they feel comfortable making. The group is very supportive and those who are more skilled in cooking are willing to assist those who are less familiar with cooking techniques. The women participating in the program come from countries throughout the world, and many of the meals that are made are from recipes that are from the variety of cultures represented in the group. A typical meal could be a Portuguese stew, served with rice, broccoli, a green salad and a strawberry dessert.

On one of the walls in the kitchen is a task sheet. The tasks are jobs that need to be done to be sure the community kitchen will run smoothly. Some of the tasks are, setting tables, washing dishes, washing and preparing meat, washing and preparing vegetables, and sweeping the floor. Each participant must sign up for a task at the beginning of each session.

A dietitian makes monthly visits to the group, and provides information on healthy eating. One of the most popular sessions with the dietitian was when the group prepared smoothies made using soft tofu. The group was very surprised by how tasty the smoothies actually were. Carolina, the coordinator, notes that as the women spend more time with the group they tend to include more vegetables in the menus they plan.

Once the meal has been prepared and kitchen cleaned the women and children sit down to enjoy the meal together. Any leftovers are taken home. The women take pride in their work and they have successfully catered a number of events.

The group is made up of about twelve members. It opens for new members as old members leave. It is important that new members be able to integrate with the group. Many of the women have been with the group since it started.

The program is funded through Access Alliance and a grant from the City of Toronto. The women can spend $100 per meal – they do not pay to join the group.

Benefits

The community kitchen is very successful in meeting its goals. It allows women to socialize, learn new skills around cooking and healthy eating and to receive support from program participants and the program coordinator. Some of the women involved in the program spoke about food businesses that they are currently involved in, in part, as a result of their participation in the community kitchen. The childcare provided by Access Alliance is a huge benefit and makes in easy for everyone to attend.

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